Fae Magick
by Shinigami29
Summary: When a figure shows up at the door to the Weasley Twins' shop, what are they to do? And when this person starts to change their life, will it be for the better, or for the worst?
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
-  
  
Twas a dark and dreary morn, and a light rain drizzled down on the peoples of Diagon Ally. The numbers ninty-three shined dimly in the lamplight, the sun having not yet risen.  
  
"Blimey dad!" a teen with hair touched by the breath of dragon spoke, leaning back on a counter within the shop. "We'll be alright! You can stop 'excorting' us to work everyday."  
  
"Yeah dad," another said, with the same dragon touched hair as the last, leaning back on a chair opposite to his twin. "We'll be just fine. You-Know-Who isn't goin' ta show up here."  
  
"I cannot help but worry," a balding man said, his little hair matching the two teens'. Fear shown abright in his brown eyes. "Now... you took all your precautions?"  
  
"Yes dad," the boy at the counter said boredly.  
  
"You made sure to lock any back entrances?"  
  
"Yes dad," the next boy said, his voice matching his brother's.  
  
"You-"  
  
"For the millionith time, yes!" both shouted at the same time, pushing up from their resting places restlessly. Before either of them could open their mouths to complain, there was a knock at the door. The man jumped, and glanced at the door, before looking at the two boys.  
  
"It's too early for customers..."  
  
"Don't sweat dad," the boy from the counter said, moving to the door. "It's probably just someone wanting to place an order, or ask a question..."  
  
"Or stalk us to our doom," the other boy joked. The man glared at them both.  
  
"This is -not- a laughing matter," he snapped at him. "Do -not- open that door George."  
  
"Fine," the boy said, before opening the door. "And I'm Fred..."  
  
He turned to look at whom was outside, only to see a cloacked figure. He froze, shocked, and backed up. His brother sat back down slowly, his skin paling.  
  
"G-go away!" the man yelled hoarshy at the cloaked figure. The figure didn't answer, only brought long, skiny hands up slowly to it's hood. The three, dragon-touched men all stared at the figure, bitting their lips and waiting for the worst...  
  
There was a small laugh, and the figure pulled down it's hood... 


	2. Surprise, Surprise

Surprise, Surprise  
  
-  
  
There was a sudden bolt of lightening outside. A morning storm... how fitting.  
  
Another laugh, this one sounding faintly like bells. The hood dropped to the figure's shoulders, revealing the face of a young, beautiful girl. Dark, chestnut locks of wavy hair that disappeared in her cloak framed her face, almost hiding shining, crimson eyes. Both the twin boys and the father relaxed, colour coming back to their faces.  
  
"Greetings," she said, bowing her head down. "I am pleased to meet you... Fred Weasely, is it?" Her eyes glittered with unknown amusement as she cocked her head to the side, looking at him. Said boy smiled coyly at her, moving aside to let her enter the shop farther.  
  
"And Arthur Weasely," the girl continued stepping forwards. She bowed again, lower this time, smiling up at him. "It's an honor to meet you."  
  
"Who are you?" the other boy said, standing up and moving to stand behind his father.  
  
"Ah... George Weasely," the girl continued to smile. "I am blessed with the presence of three of the Weasely men... what pleasure!"  
  
"Excuse me, Miss..?" the man, Mr. Weasely inquired, looking at her.  
  
"Greu," she said politely, looking around the shop in wonder.  
  
"Miss Greu," Mr. Weasely nodded to himself, making sure to remember that name. "Why um... why are you here?"  
  
"I came seeking employment," she said, moving over to one of the shelves. Touching a box, she squealed in glee as it opened up, lighting up with fire and two little dancers. After a few moments, the dancers grew, and changed into little ghost-like forms, and dashed around the girl. They were meant to fly into her, giving her the ice-cold, sickening feeling of that when a ghost walks through you, but they didn't. After a few laps around her, they moved back to their box, and continued to dance.  
  
"We don't have any to offer," Fred Weasely said, stunned at the appearance of the girl. "Sorry."  
  
"'tis alright," she smiled at him, heading to the door. "There are more places to seek work..."  
  
"Wait!" the other boy, George Weasely, said. The girl stopped, and looked at him.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Um..." George blushed slightly, the tips of his ears turning red. "Well... what sort of work would you be able to do?"  
  
"Protection charms, minor healing spells, healing concoctions, and all wizard magic... why?"  
  
"No, I meant what coul-"  
  
"Protection charms?" Mr. Weasely interrupted. "Protection... against what?" The girl blinked up at him.  
  
"Against most spells, but it collaspes under stronger ones... and, when harmed, whether deflected or not, it alarms myself, and depending on which charm I use, the Ministry of Magic."  
  
"I'm sorry but we're not looking fo-"  
  
"Your hired," Mr. Weasely inturrupted again. Both boys glared at their father. "I want you to place protection spells-"  
  
"Charms."  
  
"Sorry... protection -charms- on my boys, and this shop, to protect them against Deatheaters and You-Know-Who."  
  
The girl frowned, and sunk into thought as the boys moved infront of her to glare at their father.  
  
"No," Fred said on the right. "We don't need any protection."  
  
"Yeah..." George said from the left. "We can hire her for help ya know!" This caused Fred to glare at his brother slightly, before turning back to his father.  
  
"They wouldn't work," she said, snapping out of thought and looking at the three. "Alls they would be good for would be to alarm the Ministry."  
  
"See?" Fred said. "She is of no help, what-so-ever."  
  
"Now, now Freddie-boy..." Mr. Weasely said, smiling encouragely at the girl. "Let her work here... let her protect you... okay?"  
  
"I don't think so," Fred muttered, moving to sit on the counter, away from the conversation. George looked at the girl, and smiled at her as well.  
  
"Welcome," was all he said. "Um... what is your full name?"  
  
"Shin Elizabeth Dawn Amelia Vee Greu," she rattled off, stretching out one of her long, skiny hands for him to shake.  
  
"Thats a um... pretty long name..." George said, shaking it. Mr. Weasely just stood there, looking at her, more stunned now then ever.  
  
"Your the new Auror... from Wales!" he said, astonishment etched deep into his voice. She only nodded. "But... but... why are you searching for work?"  
  
"I need it," she said simply, blinking up at him. "For the summer... before I excort Draco Malfoy to Hogwarts." 


	3. The Silence of Trust

Ello, thought I'd say something. I'm trying not ta get inta the nasty habit of cluttering up the top of the screen. Since I'm going farther into the story now, and I'm past the first little bits, I'll be flipping back and fourth through scenes... the Scenes will be divided... okay? just thought you would like ta know.  
  
On with the story!  
  
-  
  
The Silence of Trust  
  
-  
  
George just looked at her, not believing her words. Mr. Weasely was stunned into silence as well, and Fred looked up from the counter.  
  
"I'm sorry Miss Greu," he said snidely, glaring at her slightly. "But you cannot work here... is that understood?"  
  
She looked at him long and hard, before smiling brightly at him.  
  
"I have already been hired," she said, bells underneath her voice. "As tradition, I get two weeks notice... I end my work in two weeks, do I not?"  
  
"You were never hired," Fred answered, glaring slightly at the girl. She stepped towards him, up to the countertop. She unclasped her cloak, putting it on the counter, revealing a white, flowing top overtop of nicely fitting muggle-jeans.  
  
Her hair reached down her her ankles.  
  
"You father said I was hired," she answered, her smile never leaving her lips.  
  
Time seemed to stop as Fred considered it. His eyes never left her crimson ones, and her smile slowly slipped from her face, replaced by a neutural glance that never left his. Her eyes became heavy, half-lidded... he could only imagine that he looked the same.  
  
"Come on Fred!" It was George. Snapping out of the trance-like state, Fred looked up at his twin. "Lets give her a chance... two weeks. Please?"  
  
"Please?" She asked as well, the smile finding it's way back to her lips. Fred couldn't help but admire it, no matter how much he already didn't like her...  
  
No one who knew a Malfoy could be good.  
  
"Two weeks," he found himself saying. "Two weeks and your out of here."  
  
"Yay!" She laughed, bells loud in his ears as she managed to somehow be kneeling on the counter and hugging him tightly. He pulled her arms from around his neck hastily, and backed up.  
  
She still had that smile.  
  
"You'll be out sooner if you try any funny business."  
  
Smiling at him still, she turned, letting her legs dangle off of the counter. She looked around as it started to rain, droplets pelting the windows.  
  
"What sort of charms to use..." he heard her mumble to herself. He ignored her, and checked the cash register. "...I wonder..."  
  
"Well, I best be off," Mr. Weasely said, smiling at the girl. "Miss Greu, I'm trusting you to keep my boys safe... and I should too. Alastor speaks highly of you."  
  
"Say hello to Madeye for me," she asked him. Fred knew she still had that smile on... he just knew.  
  
With a loud crack, Mr. Weasely disapparated, and George, almost shyly, walked up to the counter.  
  
"So... your an Auror, are you?" Fred almost snorted; his brother was trying to flirt.  
  
"Mhm," she nodded. "Ministry came up with a special case, needed some powerful, unusual magic to protect said case, and here I am."  
  
"Malfoy is a special case?" Fred snapped. Her eyes rounded on him. They held laughter and other things that he couldn't understand... Fred couldn't remember looking up to meet them.  
  
"Very special," she said, almost softly. "He needs a lot of help... he's in a lot of danger."  
  
"Malfoy -is- danger."  
  
"Draco."  
  
"What?"  
  
"His name is Draco," her smile grew, and she leaned closer to him, and tapped his nose. "Forget the name Malfoy; He has abandoned it."  
  
"I'll never forget the things that slimy git has done," Fred said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Yeah," George agreed. Fred knew he just wanted her attention again. "You should of heard some of the things he's done to our brother and his friends! Blimey! I bet he's the evilest person alive, aside from his father."  
  
"He's my friend," she said, looking at George with her smile, batting her eyes at him cutely.  
  
Fred almost felt his blood boil. Instead, he went to flip the sign in the window, so that it said 'open'.  
  
"I trust him as my friend," she continued. "And he has changed."  
  
"Yeah, you might be right there," Fred rolled his eyes as George agreed with her. "Time can change people..."  
  
"Time and magic," he could hear her nod her head... he knew she did. "So... you won't mind when he comes here today?"  
  
Fred stopped. Draco Malfoy, spawn of Lucius Malfoy, arch-nemisis to his entire family, coming to his shop?  
  
"No," he snarled, his eyes locking with her's. He didn't remember turning around to glare at her... "He is -not- coming here."  
  
"Has to," she said pointedly, raising her chin. "The charms I put on him only last 24 hours. Then he'll be back out in Diagon Ally, and won't bother you for the rest of the day. I expect you to be civil and speak with him."  
  
"You aren't my mother," Fred snapped back at her. "And I will not be civil with a Malfoy!"  
  
She just started at him. Fred didn't remember for how long, but he could feel himself slipping off into a trance like before. Finally, she nodded, and looked back at George. She smiled at him, and they continued talking.  
  
Taking a sharp breath, Fred flipped the sign in the door, and then started to make sure all the shelves were stocked.  
  
This was going to be a long day...  
  
-  
  
A few hours later, the girl, Shin, still wore her smile. George got along with her fabulously. It was as if he were in love...  
  
"That girl is great..." George said to Fred, a goofy grin on his face. "I mean... she's -really- great..."  
  
"You've been saying that for the past hour," Fred said boredly. Sure, him and George were inceprable, but everyone had their differences. "Could you stop acting like a love-struck git?"  
  
"Maybe I am one..."  
  
"You've known her for barely a day. Bloody hell, barely half a day! You can't love her."  
  
"But it -feels- like I love her... what else could I be feeling?"  
  
"The urge to get into her pants?"  
  
It wasn't Fred who spoke...  
  
"What? No!" both of the twins looked up to the door, to see none other then Draco Malfoy... "Why would you say that?"  
  
Fred glared at his brother slightly, for speaking -civilized- to a -Malfoy-... Instead of commenting, he stormed away to one of the backrooms.  
  
"Something about her makes most people lust over her," Malfoy said. Fred tried to block them out, but they spoke too loudly.  
  
"Oh... really? Oh, um, I'm George. Since Shin said you have changed an' all..." he could imagine that George had his hand out to be shook.  
  
There was a small pause.  
  
"I'm Draco," Malfoy said formally. Fred could of puked. "I'm glad that you listened to her... hey um... I'm sorry about what I've done in the past, to you and your brothers and such..."  
  
'And Ginny,' Fred added mentally. He slammed down a jar a little too hard, and it broke open. Sighing, he started to clean up the mess he made...  
  
"Would you like some help?" he froze for the second time that day. Closing his eyes for a second, he looked up at her.  
  
She sat, perched on the table he was at, head cocked cutely to the side as she watched him. He could only guess for how long...  
  
"I'll be fine," he grunted.  
  
"Please let me help you?" her voice was soft... pleading... not the tone she used with George.  
  
"Look, I don't know what sort of charm your trying to throw over me, but I am -not- going to be -civil- with a -Malfoy-. End of story."  
  
Abandoning the broken jar, he stood up and went back to the main shop with some more supplied, continuing to re-stock the shelves as if nothing had happened.  
  
Shin just smiled as she watched him go, and slipped off of the table to clean up.  
  
"You haven't realised..." she mumbled. "But your silence already did it..."  
  
-  
  
Draco grinned as he spoke with George. He didn't know how she did it... but she had one of the famous Weasely Twins speaking with him like old friends, and the other sinking into an uncomfortable silence.  
  
He had been expecting a few broken ribs and a black eye.  
  
"It's alright Draco," George said, smiling like a mad man. "You are forgiven; gotta give a man a chance, right? Now, me and Fred here, we didn't do a lotta good things either, and yet your givin us a chance."  
  
'More like you'll do anything for Shin... but yes, this should be a nice change...'  
  
"Yes," was all Draco dared to say.  
  
"Drake!" Shin said, coming out of the backroom a minute or two after Fred did. Fred started to mock her voice under his breath, and continued stalking shelves. "Sorry I took so long... where were you planning on going today?"  
  
Draco only shrugged.  
  
"Oh, now, that won't do," she said, pursing her lips. She went to her cloak, which was just behind the counter, and pulled a small leather pouch from it. She tossed it to Draco. "You go buy some books you think you might need for school and start reading them, and get yourself lunch. I'll be back tonight for dinner. Alright?"  
  
"Yes mother," Draco said sarcastically. He opened up the pouch, to see a couple of handfuls of galleons. "Do I need this much?"  
  
"Mhm," Shin said, finding some dust on the counter and starting to clean it away.  
  
"What's the matter Malfoy, starting to take charity now?" Fred snapped over his shoulder.  
  
Draco didn't answer.  
  
"What sort of books do you think I'll need?" he continued, not even looking at Fred.  
  
"Dumbledore said something about a nice, long unite in Faery Magic," Shin said with a secret little grin. "Defence Against the Dark Arts."  
  
"Should of known..." Draco muttered to himself, and turned to leave...  
  
Then he was on the ground.  
  
"You didn't answer me to filty little-"  
  
"Fred Weasely!" It happened too fast for him to comprehend proberly, and be blinked a few times, looking up. Shin was standing over him, glaring at one of the Weasely Twins, who looked about ready to kill.  
  
He touched his jaw carefully, and couldn't stop from flinching. It was broken.  
  
"I ask you to act civil and this is what you do?" she continued to stare him, straight in the eyes. Draco would of grinned, but if hurt.  
  
"Here champ," George said, scooping down to help him up. Shakily he stood, and then regained him composure.  
  
He wasn't as tall as them, but he was close. Shin, the most intimidating of the bunch, looked small and frail compared to them, like a porcilean doll.  
  
He noticed that the two were still looking at each other...  
  
"I best be going now," he placed a hand on Shin's shoulder, bringing her out of Fred's gaze to smile up at him prettily. He could see Fred glare out of the corner of his eye. "I'll see you tonight."  
  
Out of respect and habit, he leaned down and pecked her on the cheek. Pulling away, he watched her smile grow, and she nodded. Draco nodded back and started to leave.  
  
Fred was in his way...  
  
"If you must call me by my last name," Draco said, pushing past him. "Then I would rather be called a Black then a Malfoy."  
  
With that, he left.  
  
He didn't remember bells on the door when he came in... 


	4. Muggle Dancing

Muggle Dancing  
  
-  
  
Later that night, Draco sat on one of the comfy beds of the Leaky Cauldron. Shin knelt down in front of him, elbows resting on his knees, gentle fingers prodding and soothing his sore jaw.  
  
"Owe!" he pulled away from her, glaring. "That hurts!"  
  
"Of course it hurts," she mocked him. "I'm no healer. I need to know -where- the break is before I can heal it, so stop whining like a baby and stay still!"  
  
"I'm not a baby..." Draco muttered, but held still. Shin rolled her eyes and continued to feel along his jaw. He winched when he poked at a more sensitive spot, and then glared again when she applied more pressure.  
  
"Are you trying to torture me woman!" he yelled, pulling away again.  
  
"Stop whining," she stood up, and went to fetch her wand. "I found the break... you'll be healed in no time."  
  
"Ch... I don't even trust you now. We should of just gone to Mungo's..."  
  
"Calm down," she returned, and sat down next to him. Drapping one leg across his lap to give her better acess, she quickly found the sensitive spot just above the break with the tip of her wand, and healed it with a few well chosen words.  
  
Draco only stared at her, the pain in his jaw gone now.  
  
"From whatever you did to those Weasely Twins, I would say that I don't want them knowing what sort of possition we're in right now, because they would get the wrong idea."  
  
Shin laughed.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Draco pushed Shin away from her, and went to his trunk in the corner of the room. He sighed when he read his name encraved in thin cursive, but ignored it and opened it anyways. Pulling out a book entitled 'Bogles and Other Evils', and flipped to the page he had book marked as he went back to the bed.  
  
"Bogles," Shin let the name roll off her tongue. "Bog... elles... Bogles. Bogle. Boogle. Begal?" Finding her randomness amusing, she started laughing. Draco just rolled his eyes again, and turned the page.  
  
"Your no fun..." she pouted at him.  
  
"Your too much fun," he dragged, absorbing as much information as possible.  
  
"Wanna play?" she asked. Draco blushed slightly; he knew better then to take that suggestively, but the way she said it...  
  
A pillow hit his head.  
  
"What was that for!" he glared up at her.  
  
"For thinking naughty thoughts," she laughed again, and stuck her tongue out at him. Suddenly she was up again. She twirled around restlessly, before stopping by the mantle and looking at him. "I wanna dance... lets go find a ring! Please?"  
  
"No," Draco said hastily. "Those rings are evil..."  
  
"Only because you don't know how to get out of them," Shin said pointedly, fixing him with 'a look'. "What else, do you suggest, besides finding a ring?"  
  
"Um... I..." Draco looked around the room, in vain hope that there would be something else to distract her attention...  
  
Nothing.  
  
Closing the book, making sure to mark his page, he stood up, and walked towards her.  
  
"Why don't we find a different place to dance... less... hazardous?"  
  
She sunk into thought, considering it. Draco watched her, crossing his fingers behind his back...  
  
He -really- didn't want to go out to find a 'ring'...  
  
"Okay," she said, looking back up at him. "But we're going to where I wanna go, alright?"  
  
"Alright, alright," he raised his hands in surrender, and she smiled. Hooking her arm around his, she turned to the mantle. Pointing her wand at the firegrate, she lit a fire, and then reached for some floo powder...  
  
"Aren't you going to at least tell me where we are going?"  
  
"You need to learn proper grammer, young Master Malfoy."  
  
"Fine... Would you ever-so-kindly tell me where our destination is?"  
  
"Hmm... no."  
  
Casting the floo power into the flames, she watched them go emerald, and then dragged Draco into the fireplace with her. It was a tight squeeze, but they just made it.  
  
"Zehili's Night Club!" Shin shouted.  
  
They disappeared in the flames...  
  
An owl came in through the window, and landed on the bed. Looking around the room, but seeing no one, it settled down, ruffling it's feathers.  
  
-  
  
They dropped out of another fireplace, and Draco coughed. Pulling himself to his feet, he brushed a bit of soot off of his pants before helping Shin up.  
  
"That was fun," she said cheerily, before starting to drag him to the entrance.  
  
"Aren't we going to dance?" he asked, even if he regreted it.  
  
"Yeah... but not here," Shin said easily. "Too many... wizards here."  
  
"Isn't that the point?"  
  
"No."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes, for the millionth time that night, but let himself be dragged. For the life of him, he would never be able to figure out this girl in front of him.  
  
He was his own age, and yet she was already a full fledged auror, and out of school. Sure, he knew part of the reason for that, but what of the rest of the reason?  
  
She was devastatingly beautiful, and he couldn't help himself, he still hadn't gotten past wanting to throw her up against a wall and kiss her mindlessly... But he couldn't do that. One, she had enough authority and skill to kill him and make it look like an accident, and two she was his friend.  
  
And of course, she was helping him... he couldn't figure out why she was still helping him. She told him herself that she never did an assignment that was longer then a week, because she lost interest and usually just left. it was two weeks into the summer, and two weeks since she had first met him...  
  
Two weeks. He knew this girl for two weeks, and already she was his best friend.  
  
"Here!" she chimed. He realised that they were outside... and in front of another club.  
  
A muggle club.  
  
"No," he said, more out of habbit then disagreement.  
  
"You know you wanna," she said, flashing him with irrisistable eyes.  
  
He knew -exactly- why George was fawning over her... he didn't know why Fred seemed to dislike her though.  
  
She was just too easy to fall in love with... or to think you had fallen in love with.  
  
"Couples night," he said, obversing a sign.  
  
"Guess it's you an' me, huh love?" she joked, winking up at him. He smirked, and pulled her to his side.  
  
"Ya know, if you said that two weeks ago I would probably of had you chained to a bed by now."  
  
"Good thing I didn't say it two weeks ago."  
  
They slipped down the stairs of the club, into an underground getto-like place. It was dirty, stant of sweat and alchohal, and the music was blasting loud enough to hear from Mexico, but Draco smiled.  
  
It was completely opposite from the life he lived for 17 years...  
  
"Think your up to some Spanish Dancing?" Shin asked, pulling him onto the dance floor.  
  
"Some what?" Draco said confused.  
  
"Spanish music, Spanish Dancing," Shin pointed out. "Just look around you..." Draco did, and had to do a double take.  
  
He could -not- dance like that...  
  
"No."  
  
"Awe... please? Just try?" She pouted again, and looked up at him with big doe eyes...  
  
'Dammit...'  
  
"Okay, okay... but if I break your toes it's not my fault."  
  
This made her smile. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she came up close to him, and moved with the movements. It amazed him still how she didn't need to know the moves of any dance to master it, and was instantly better then anyone else.  
  
Resting his hands on her hips, he roughly mimiced some of the easier movements of the dancers.  
  
Shin laughed.  
  
"I'm gonna havta teach you," she said with a smile. "But for now... this is good."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes... again.  
  
-  
  
After several hours of dancing, the two of them went back to the stairs. Shin was smiling with amusement and adoration for the dancing, and continued to watch it, and Draco just leaned back.  
  
Yeah... he knew what George felt for her. Utter-lust. He had felt it when he first saw her too, and still could feel a tad of it now... but most of it had simmered down, to a need to protect her... as if she were a sister.  
  
She yawned, and leaned against his chest.  
  
"M'tired..." she murmured. He chuckled, and stood up, scooping her into his arms. She cuddled against his chest as he walked back up the stairs.  
  
Looking around, he found that Zehili's Night Club wasn't too far away, and walked back to it. After a wait in the line-up there, he found the fireplace.  
  
Standing in front of it, he pulled Shin tighter against his chest, looking down at her.  
  
She was asleep...  
  
"Little Sister..." he smiled. "I like the sound of that..."  
  
Managing to get a little bit of floo powder, he flicked it into the flames, making them roar emerald, and stepped into them.  
  
"Leaky Cauldron, room 413!" 


	5. A Kiss Changes Everything

A Kiss Changes Everything  
  
-  
  
A week after the entire 'Day-of-Hell', as Fred had started to call it, he sat behind the counter, leaning on his elbows and just staring at the front window. Today was a slow day. An agonizingly slow day. No one was in the shop, which was strange, as it was rarely empty...  
  
Shin was sitting, straddling the back of a chair, reading over a letter. As she neared the bottom, the top of it folded over, and Fred could see the big, illuminated letter 'D', but nothing else.  
  
George? George was out getting lunch.  
  
"What are you reading anyways?" Fred asked, not being after to take it anymore. She had been reading the same letter for a week in all her spare time, only putting it down when Draco stopped by around noon everyday...  
  
Which, as Fred checked the clock, he was about 30 minutes later then normal.  
  
"Letter about my case," Shin said, looking up at him with a kind smile. Something shone bright in her eyes that Fred had seen in his mother's the nights when Bill and Charlie went out past their cerfew, and before they came home and got scolded. Worry. "Some important details that I need to mesmorise because I just know if I don't, when I need to read it over I won't have it to read over."  
  
By now, Fred wasn't listening.  
  
"Why are you worried?" he asked softly, afraid that she wouldn't be able to hear. Her eyes widened slightly, the smile slowly departed from her face, and a blush creeped up across the bridge of her nose, telling him she had heard. "Is it because Malfoy isn't here yet? I mean... theres no reason to worry about him you know."  
  
"How do you know I'm worried?" she asked, her blush deepening.  
  
"I've seen those eyes millions of times before," Fred said simply. "My mom gets the same look whenever she is worried."  
  
"I'm not your mother."  
  
"But your worried. About that slimeball none-the-less."  
  
"Draco."  
  
"What?"  
  
"His name is Draco."  
  
This made Fred go silent again. He went back to looking out of the window, and noticed Malfoy walking towards the door. He watched as he entered the shop, and as Shin looked up, smiling, worry completely erased from her eyes.  
  
-  
  
Shin's eyes lingered on Fred's face as he looked back out of the window, but she was distracted a moment later as the door opened. Looking up, she smiled brightly when she saw Draco enter.  
  
"Where have you been?" Shin scolded lightly, standing up and walking over to him.  
  
"Sorry," Draco appologized, smiling back. "Ran into some people I didn't really want to meet..." Just then, she noticed the scratch, just underneath his jawline, just out off sight.  
  
It was pretty nasty.  
  
"Draco Ariston Malfoy, -what- have you been doing?" She demanding, dragging him over to the chair she had previously occupied and forcing him to sit in it. She tilted his head back to get a better look at the scratch; it had a slight greenish hue to it.  
  
"It's not what I have been doing," Draco said lamely. "It's what someone else did with a deadly looking knife and a few threats."  
  
"You wouldn't have to deal with that if you weren't late."  
  
"I wouldn't have to deal with it if you had come either."  
  
"I would of been too late, and you know it," Shin snapped at him. "The knife was poisoned, by what I don't know, but I don't have any herbs here, so go to Mungo's. It doesn't look too lethal."  
  
"Yeah," Draco nodded, and once Shin let go of his face, stood up. "Well... I'd better be go..." Shin's eyes widened as he started to sway slightly. "...ing..."  
  
And he dropping to the floor.  
  
She screamed.  
  
-  
  
As soon as she screamed, Fred was over the counter, pulling her against his chest. Her screams were muffled as she tried to push away from him, but he was too strong for her.  
  
"Calm down!" he hissed into her ear. "We can't help him if your just screaming! Calm. Down!" Slowly, reluctantly, she did, and he loosened his grip on her. She looked up at him, her hair messy.  
  
"We have to get him to St. Mungo's," she whispered. There were tears in her eyes. "Please help me?"  
  
"That slime deserves whatever is happening to him," Fred sneered. "Why should I help him?"  
  
"Please Fred," she asked again. "He's my best friend... you may hate him, but he -has- changed... well, technically he hasn't, but that's besides the point."  
  
"Technically?" Fred blinked at her confusidly. "You say that he's changed, then you say that he hasn't... you make no sense."  
  
"Just..." She bit her lip. "Trust me?"  
  
Looking at her, he found no way for him to say no...  
  
"Tell a soul that I am helping slime like -Malfoy-, and I'll hex you into next year," he whispered deadly.  
  
"Is that a threat?" she asked, amusement back in her eyes as she let a small smile grace her lips. Fred couldn't help but smile back.  
  
"It's a promise," he whispered, pushing her away from him. He got his wand out of his pocket, and proformed the mobilus spell on Malfoy, moving him to the back, where a fireplace was. "You stay here and watch the shop... tell George that I went back to the borrow to get something, or something else... just as -long- as it's not about me helping the almighty bouncing ferret."  
  
"Alright," she said with a giggle. He felt her eyes on him the entire time, even if he knew she hadn't walked behind him. He lit a fire in the small fire place, and sent Draco through to St. Mungo's. With a sigh, he got into the fire next.  
  
"St. Mungo's!"  
  
-  
  
George was grinning like an idiot as he walked down Diagon Ally. In his hand he had a nicely wrapped box, and his ears were slightly red. He hoped that Shin liked his present...  
  
He walked into the shop, a little nervously, to see her by herself behind the counter, taking money from a teenager with long, stringy locks of golden hair. Looking around the shop, he saw a few other people, but not many.  
  
walking up to the counter, he leaned against it, just admiring her... her long brown hair, held up in a loose, messy bun today; her crimson eyes, always laughing; her baby blue shirt, with a low cut neckline...  
  
"George?" he was snapped back to reality when she waved her hand infront of his face, and he blushed beat red, realising that he had drifted off as he stared at her...  
  
"Um..." he tried to recover. "I got you something while I was out..." He placed the present on the counter infront of him, straightening up. Smiling beautifully at him, she upwrapped it slowly, and peered inside...  
  
"Oh, this is too much," she mumbled, blushing prettily. She hoisted herself up and sat on the counter, and taking the item out of the box, clipped it around her ankle. It was a stunning anklet, made of gold, with a cats eye charm on it, the pupil a small ruby. "Thank you!" Leaning forwards, she crushed him into a hug, and he blushed again.  
  
"No problem," George said, placing his hands on her hips. After a moment, she pushed him away, getting back off of the counter, and heading to the backroom, humming.  
  
"What's for lunch?" she asked.  
  
"Oh... um..." George looked to the small bag that he also had with him. "Just some pastries and some pumkin juice... where's Fred?"  
  
"He's doing me a favour," Shin came back a moment later with some items that apparently needed to be restocked. A costomer came to the counter to pay for their findings, and George slipped behind the cash register.  
  
For awhile it went on like this, Shin doing odd jobs here and there, George dealing with the paying costomers. It unnerved him, because he really wanted to talk to her... about what, he didn't know, but he wanted to hear her voice again...  
  
Finally, there was a small laspe in costomers. They must of been working in silence for an hour, an hour and a half tops. Walking up to her, he lightly tapped her shoulder, and she turned around to look at him.  
  
"Yes George?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.  
  
"I was wondering..." he started. "Would you-" before he could finish, the door to the shop opened, and both of them looked to see Fred walking in. Shin smiled, and almost knocked him over as she ran over to hug him.  
  
"Gerroff me!" he managed to say, worming his way out of his grasp. Shin giggled, and let go of him. She must of asked something, because a moment later, Fred said, "yes, yes, I did it, it's all over with, he's fine... happy now?"  
  
"Yep!" Then she did the last thing that either of the twins expected... standing up on her tippi toes, she placed a kiss to Fred's cheek. "Thank you!"  
  
Then bounced back off to her work.  
  
George just started at his brother for a moment. He felt... well, jealous. Comeplete and utter jealously. Turning around, he went back to the cash register, and awaited the next costomer.  
  
And Fred? He just glared at Shin. 


	6. Arguments

Arguments  
  
-  
  
"You didn't have to do that."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"You know what."  
  
"I am afraid I don't."  
  
"You know -exactly- what; your just trying to be a pest."  
  
"If I knew, I would appologize."  
  
"Then appologize already!"  
  
"Over what?"  
  
"That kiss!"  
  
There was silence. Shin, who had been putting items into a box, stood frozen to the spot. Fred, with his back to her, did not see this, and continued to pack things into another box.  
  
They were both in the backroom, packing up some box orders that would be shipped out tomorrow to a place in Hogsmeade. To where, Fred and George wouldn't tell her, but that was the least bit of importance right now.  
  
"Does it matter?" Shin asked quietly, continuing to pack up the things again.  
  
"Yes," Fred snapped back. "George has been giving me the cold shoulder all day. Blimey, him and I haven't acted so different since you entered the shop! What are you doing, going around with Malfoy, seducing people, ruining their lifes, and then, maybe, taking their money? Is that it?"  
  
"No," Shin shook her head, not that he could see, and walked out of the backroom.  
  
"Then what!" Fred called at her, following her. She turned to meet his eyes, a solem expression on her face for once. Walking closer to Fred, never breaking eye contect, it seemed almost like she was glowing...  
  
"It's an expression of thanks..." she murmured. "I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?" Fred heard himself say. He was becoming entranced by her voice, hypnotized by her eyes...  
  
"For saying thank you," she said sadly. "You obviously did not appr-" Before she could finish the sentance, Fred had closed the small distance between them, and kissed her deeply. It was a shock to her, but she slowly responded, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
Fred felt as if he were floating... he pulled her closer, but it didn't seem like close enough. His skin burned, his senses taken by her completely...  
  
Then he woke up.  
  
Looking around his room that he shared with George in the Borrow, sweat on his brow, he quickly found the clock hanging on the wall, which read '3:42am - Sleep Time!' on it's face. With a groan, he pushed himself up out of bed, and left his room making as little noise as possible.  
  
Creeping down the stairs, he passed room after room of deep sleepers... Well, all except for one. He cringed as he stopped, looking at the stairs in front of him, and the door that they passed...  
  
Ginny's room. She was an extremely light sleeper, and had been since her first year. And by rotten luck or coicidence, the stairs that creaked the most in the entire house, were infront of her room.  
  
Taking a deep breathe, he walked down the steps, one by one, trying not to make much noise...  
  
Creeeee...  
  
He winched. He hadn't even put his full weight on the stair yet...  
  
...eeeeeeak...  
  
He paused, listening.  
  
"Mornin'," a soft voice said. Fred sighed in frustration, his shoulder's slumping down in defeat.  
  
"I tried to be quiet, honest," he swore, turning to look at Ginny, who smiled at him.  
  
"It's alright," she whispered, coming out to join him. "I was awake anyways... what are you doing up?"  
  
"Bad dream," he muttered, and continued down the stairs.  
  
"Would you like to tell me about it?" Ginny asked, falling instep beside him; she looked at him up and down, smiling a knowing smile. The way his ears turned red, and his lack of answer, seemed to amuse her. "Ah... one of -those- bad dreams?"  
  
"What do you mean, one of -those- bad dreams?" Fred whispered in as loud and as intimidating as he dared. "How many types of bad dreams are there!"  
  
"Many," Ginny said, with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. "Would you like some hot cocoa?"  
  
"Don't try to change the subject on me..."  
  
"So no hot cocoa?"  
  
Fred bit his lip... hot cocoa sounded -mighty- tempting... but Ginny just seemed so suspicious!  
  
'Suspicious? She has nothing to he suspicious about!' Fred throught grumpily to himself.  
  
"Yes please," he answered her, and went to sit at the table. Ginny entered the kitchen, and after a few minutes of looking through cupboards, broke the short silence.  
  
"Come in here so we can talk," Ginny said to him, and he complied. They stayed in silence for awhile; Fred sitting on the counter, Ginny heating up milk for the hot cocoa.  
  
Once they both had steaming mugs of cocoa, and Fred had conjured up some marshmellows and whipped cream, they sat on opposite counters, sipping their drinks.  
  
"What of your dream?" Ginny asked cautiously.  
  
"Nightmare," he corrected.  
  
"What of your nightmare," she giggled.  
  
"I don't see how this is amusing," he would of growled, but settled for a nice glare instead.  
  
"It's very amusing," Ginny said easily. "You just haven't realised it."  
  
"Oh? Enlighten me."  
  
"You need a cold shower," Ginny said, the twinkle in her eyes returning.  
  
"What?" Fred just blinked at her. Ginny laughed, and gestured to something in his lap. Fred looked, and immediately turned beat red. "I... um... well, you see-"  
  
"No need to explain," Ginny giggled again, taking another sip of hot cocoa. There was whipped cream on her noise. "I supposed this is about that employee of your's? Shin is it?"  
  
"Why would it be about her?" Fred said, a tad bit too quickly.  
  
"I caught George in the same situation a week ago," Ginny answered simply. "So... you fancy her as well?"  
  
"I do -not- fancy her!" Fred said loudly. There was a deadly silence for a few moments, as they both listened to make sure no one woke up. Only a few soft snores were heard; Fred continued. "She's bratty, inconciderate, and has both Dad -and- George wrapped around her baby toe! She's friends with Malfoy, which means she -must- be up to no good, and she is probably a Death Eater, and has placed Dad and George under spells to make them like her so much! I am -never-, -ever- going to fancy someone like -that-."  
  
Ginny just stared at him, shaking her head. "Your parinoid," she muttered, sipping her drink again. "She can't be -that- bad..."  
  
"Wanna bet?" Fred snorted out, getting whipped cream all around his mouth with his next sip.  
  
"How 'bout I come to your guys' work tomorrow?" Ginny offered. "Better yet, I'll get her to come with me to get a few things I've been meaning to buy out and around Diagon Ally... sound like a deal?"  
  
Fred thought over this, stroking his chin as he sipped his hot cocoa. Looking up at her with a grin, he stuck out his hand, which she shook.  
  
"Deal."  
  
-  
  
Across countless miles and magical barriers of all sorts Shin sat at a windowsill, her legs dangling outside, watching the sky for shooting stars.  
  
"Mmm... wha' chu doin' up?" a voice said sleepily from behind her. Draco leaned against the windowsill, and looked up at the sky as well.  
  
"Looking at the stars," Shin said softly. Goosebumps covered her arms, but it wasn't from the cold. She shivvered.  
  
"You cold?" Draco asked softly. She shook her head. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Avalon calls," Shin muttered. "They want me back..."  
  
"Avalon?"  
  
"Home..." Shin answered. "My home."  
  
"Oh..." hapazordly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to his chest. "Nuh-uh, they're not taking you back... you need to save me from the big bad Death Eaters, 'member?"  
  
"Yeah, I remember," Shin nodded. With one last look at the sky, she came back inside, and shut the window. Leaning into Draco's embrace, she closed her eyes. "Your staying with me tomorrow."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your staying with me tomorrow... all day. I can't risk you getting hurt again."  
  
"But... one of your bosses sort of... hate me. Remember?"  
  
"So? They're going to have to learn to deal with you, because your going to be hanging around a lot more."  
  
They lasped into silence, Shin obviously uncomfortable. Something, or someone, was on her mind.  
  
"Lets dance," Draco muttered, after almost fifteen minutes of just standing there. She looked up at him, crimson meeting silver.  
  
"What?" she asked, confused. He smiled.  
  
"You said you would teach me... so lets dance." And she smiled. A huge, beautiful smile that lit up her feature better then anything else.  
  
And they danced.  
  
-  
  
"Good morning!" Shin said in high spirits the next morning as she entered the Weasley Twins' shop. Fred glared at her from behind the counter, while George just beamed.  
  
"G'morning," Draco said in a more of a lazy drawl, entering the shop behind her. When he entered, Fred's ears went scarlet with fury. Before he could open his mouth to insult the blond boy, a voice came from the back.  
  
"Fred, have you seen my wand? I'm sure I brought it with me..."  
  
"Who's here?" Shin asked, trying to sound innocently curious, though Draco knew she was worried. Just stepping into the place, magic prickled at his skin. Fred and George would be used to it, of course, because they were in here a lot, and Shin wouldn't of placed all the charms on them and the shop at once, but anyone from outside would be reminded stiffly of the air withing 'Ollivander's'.  
  
"Our sister," Fred and George said at once, both of them with smiles.  
  
"Wait til you meet her-" George started.  
  
"-you'll love her!-" Fred continued, seeming to forget that he hated Shin.  
  
"-Got a firey temper though-"  
  
"-like our mum-"  
  
"-You two'll get alone great!" they finished together, as a red haired girl walked out of the backroom. She seemed to have found her wand, and was tucking it into her pocket, when she noticed Shin.  
  
"So your Shin?" she said immediately, with a discrete smile. "Ah... I've heard all about you! The 'rumours' were right, you are gorgeous."  
  
"Thank you," Shin blushed prettily, and to anyone who was looking, George's ears turned red... "But really, you should not be talking. Simply look in a mirror and you would see beauty!" The red-head blushed as well, looking down to the ground with a smile.  
  
"If you two are quite done flirting," Draco said boredly, looking around the shop. "I Still need to-"  
  
"Your -not- changing my mind," Shin interrupted him. "So sit down and shut up 'Drakie-poo'." The girl laughed, and dispite their efforts not too, so did Fred and George.  
  
"Awe... Dwakie-poo loose his bottle?" Fred said teasingly.  
  
"You be quiet too, 'Freddie-boy'," Shin said, turning on him. Almost instantly, Fred shut up, his ears turning beat red.  
  
"I'm Ginny," the girl said, still giggling. "I was brought here to steal you away and force you to come with me while I buy things."  
  
"Oh swell," Draco interrupted. "Now I get to -babysit-." Ginny looked hurt at the comment, but didn't rise up to it.  
  
"So... shall we go now, or in ten minutes?"  
  
"We'll leave as soon as Draco has appologized," Shin said simply, with a beautiful smile plastered on her lips. "Until then, I'll be in the back room... I believe theres some boxes that need to be packed?"  
  
Without awaiting an answer, she went to the backroom, leaving a dumbstruck Draco behind.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered under his breathe.  
  
"Great, I'll go fetch Shin," Fred said dryly, moving to the backroom as well. Ginny just stood there, staring at him.  
  
"You shouldn't say stuff that you don't mean," she said pointedly. "I understand that you ha-"  
  
"I don't hate you," Draco interrupted her. George, grinning, wished he had a muggle tape-recorder. "I just... it's a habit."  
  
"Oh, so it's a habit for you to make fun of those less fortunate then you?" Ginny snapped at him. "Or to tease someone because of their appearance?"  
  
"It's not like I -wanted- to act that way!" Draco snapped back, glaring.  
  
"If you did not -want- to act like that, then you wouldn't of acted like that!" Ginny yelled.  
  
"You have no fucking clue what sort of hell I've had to go through!" he exploded. "Do -not- try and tell me how I should and shouldn't of acted if I never hated you! You have -no-. -Fucking-. -Clue-!"  
  
Without another word, he turned, and left the shop. 


	7. Inner Turmoil

Inner Turmoil  
  
-  
  
Fred entered the backroom slowly, making sure his breathing was normal and paced. His heart skipped when his brain dimly registered that Shin was packing a box with supplies.  
  
Swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat, she walked towards her slowly. She did not turn, though he could not fathom why; his foot steps thundered loudly in his ear, each one echoing upon each other a thousand times and a thousand times again before the next one.  
  
Finally he stood right behind her, and he realise that time seemed to have slowed down... it was much, much too slow. But even as his mind eventually thought up of words to say, and his hand raised to tap her shoulder, all his other senses heightened.  
  
He could see each strand of hair that had been pulled up into an impossibly elaborate mass of knots and curls on her head. He could smell the faint scent of rain and waterlilies coming from her being. He could hear each heartfelt note of a song she hummed silently under her breath. And there, just at the very edges of his mind, he reasoned that maybe, just -maybe-, if that rubbish about people having auras was true, he could feel her's... warm and bright against his skin.  
  
Before he had a chance to speak though, someone else had broke him free of his momentary hypnosis.  
  
"Oh, so it's a habit for you to make fun of those less fortunate then you?" A voice sounding very much like Ginny's stated, rather then asked, from the other room "Or to tease someone because of their appearance?"  
  
"Cheery couple, aren't they?" Shin said happily. Fred glared slightly at the back of her head, and moved to lean against the table beside her.  
  
"It's not like I -wanted- to act that way!" Draco's voice pierced into the room as well.  
  
"Absolutely splendid," Fred said sarcastically. He continued to glare at her. "You realise I hate your guts, right?"  
  
"If you did not -want- to act like that, then you wouldn't of acted like that!" Ginny's voice yelled, raised considerably.  
  
"You don't hate my guts," Shin said, bells ringing under her voice.  
  
"What makes you so sure of that?" Fred said snidely, his glare intensifying, ten-fold.  
  
"You have no fucking clue what sort of hell I've had to go through!" Draco's voice hollared. "Do -not- try and tell me how I should and shouldn't of acted if I never hated you! You have -no-. -Fucking-. -Clue-!"  
  
"Because..." Shin said, moving away slightly as a door slammed shut in the other room. She looked up into Fred's eyes; his glare slipping, he couldn't help but admire how they shown in the light... "Eyes are the window to the soul you know... and yours just don't have hatred in them... at least, they don't when you look at me. Now... I have to go and find the thing you truly dispise, and bring him back."  
  
Giving him a pleasant smile, her eye's softer then usual, she turned and left the backroom.  
  
Fred hardly cared.  
  
For a reason beyond his knowledge, he felt he could of died happily right then.  
  
-  
  
Showing the greatest of calm and poise, Shin left the shop and moved down the streets. Thankfully, George had seen the general direction Draco had gone, or else Shin would of been searching for hours...  
  
Needless to say, she found him, at the end of the ally, muttering under his breathe curses and counter-curses, jinxes, hexes, and many other types of spells. But before she found him, she had quite the unusual company.  
  
"I'm going with you," Ginny said, catching up with her as she walked away from the door.  
  
"Are you sure you want to?" Shin asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Ginny only nodded; it was obvious her temper was boiling. Shin nodded back, and led her alond the streets.  
  
"How can you put up with that jerk?" Ginny asked quietly, breaking several minutes of silence. Shin cast her a wary glance before answering smoothly.  
  
"One, it's my job, so I get paid," Shin stated. "Two, it is not Draco babysitting me, but more as me babysitting Draco. And three, he's really nice when you get to know him."  
  
"Yeah right..." Ginny muttered darkly.  
  
"It's true," Shin smiled against her better judgements, clicking her tongue. Ginny found no reply.  
  
Continuing for several minutes in silence, it was Shin's turn to become curious. Here was this girl, obviously raging with hatred towards Draco, and yet she came with her... and unless she was mistaken, she didn't want to throttle him. Or her, for that matter.  
  
"Why did you come?" Shin found herself asking.  
  
"What?" Ginny blinked a few times.  
  
"I asked, why did you come?" Shin repeated. "You did not have to accompany me to find Draco. You seem to dislike him just as much as Fred does, so what is the point in coming?"  
  
"I told my brother that I would keep you out of the shop," Ginny stated easily. "More so, I promised him. I don't plan on breaking that promise anytime soon, so alls I havta do after this is make sure you don-"  
  
"You can't keep me away from the store," Shin interrupted her, making her go silent again. "I have knitted so many spells in and around that store while those boy's weren't looking, that I could find it, blind folded, in a busy street. Surely you must of felt it when you came into the shop?"  
  
"It felt... different," Ginny admitted, after another short silence. "Sort of like... Ollivander's. Do you know Ollivander's?"  
  
"Aye," Shin nodded, and finally, she spotted Draco. He was across the street from a small icecream parlor, half-hidden from site. Instead of walking over to him, she sat down at a table, keeping an eye, and Ginny sat down beside her. "I know Ollivander's... got my wand there, and Ollivander even taught me a few spells and the such. His shop is buzzing with magic, but his magic is raw, unkept, untainted magic, bekoning to the call of anyone, and igniting when theres a certain 'spark' with a wand... makes it perfect for wand choosing."  
  
Before Ginny cound think of a respond, a waiter came to take their orders. Ginny with a chocolate fudge and brownie sundae, and Shin with a strawberry banana split with extra whipped cream. Humming, Shin scooped come strawberries in her mouth, and glanced to where Draco was.  
  
"So..." Ginny said, taking a bite of her sundae. Shin looked at her, as it seemed like the subject had been dropped when she had lasped into silence a few minutes before. "If I waved my wand around Fred and George's shop... it would make a bunch of sparks?"  
  
"No," Shin shook her head, taking another bite. "Unlike Ollivander's, the spells and charms in the store have definite shape and purpose. You can be aware that they are there, but they shall not bekon to the call of anyone, but really, only to mine, and if I did it right, Mad-eye's."  
  
"Moody?" Shin asked curiously. "What has Moody got to do with all of this?"  
  
"More then you know," Shin said mysteriously. "And more then I'm worth... oh! Thank you!" The waitor had just dropped off another sundae, this one blueberry and peanuts with whipped cream.  
  
"No problem miss," the waitor smilled at her. "Me boss seemed to think you would need it... no extra charge!"  
  
"Thank him for me, would you?" Shin said pleasantly; the waitor nodded, and left their table. Shin pulled out her long, thin wand, quite unusual compared to normal wands, and with the faintest whisper of a spell, sent the blueberry sundae floating up above everyone's head, and across the street. Ginny watched it for a few moments, but didn't see where it went.  
  
"That's a waste of good sundae," she pointed out, content with hers. "After all... your supposed to -eat- them, not practice magic on them..."  
  
"No, no I suppose your not," Shin said absently. "Well, I'm glad that I had a good reason to send it over there..."  
  
"Oh?" Ginny raised a brow at her curiously. "And what would that be?"  
  
"Draco," Shin answered easily. She concentraited on eating her banana split while Ginny looked around in surprise. She could just barely see the back of his head as he slowly ate his sundae.  
  
"What's -he- doing here?" Ginny hissed, turning back to Shin.  
  
"Looks like he's eating," Shin muttered absently. "Not a crime to eat, is it?" Ginny didn't answer, just went back to eating her sundae.  
  
-  
  
Draco jumped slightly when the sundae placed itself beside him. Looking at it, confused, he couldn't help but wonder where it came from... then he looked up and saw Shin sitting at the icecream parlor, and understood. There was someone else there with her, but he couldn't see who that someone was.  
  
He concentraited on eating the sundae in front of him... him and Shin had gone out for icecream on the first day that they had met, she said it was an 'icebreaker' of sorts. It was the same icecream parlor that she had the person with her sat at now as they had aten together three weeks ago now. It was ironic to him in some strange, bitter sort of way... but he didn't dwell on that.  
  
'Your supposed to be making -friends- with them...' he told his mind. What wouldn't he do for a calming charm right now? Hell, a cheering charm would work as well. 'Not pushing them away... seriously! You just... exploded back there! How will you -ever- make friends with them, if you do that?'  
  
'Don't...' A voice in the back of his mind whispered. He shuddered. 'Don't make friends with them... push them away... kill-'  
  
"No!" Draco whispered furiously to himself. "I am in control... you will -not- control me!"  
  
Taking deep, slow breathes, he looked around him. Glad that he had not attratcked too much attention, he finished his sundae, then went to the table that Shin sat at... he was slightly surprised to see Ginny there.  
  
"Look," he started, not looking at Shin as he sat down. "Really I'm sorry for everything I've done in the past... I just... wasn't myself. I accept it if you don't forgive me."  
  
Ginny just started at him with a mixture of disbelief and confusion on her face.  
  
"Good," Shin smiled. "Now that -that- mess is settled... where shall we go first? Drake, I believe you need some more potion supplies, new robes, and you have all of your books... oh, parchment and quills as well... what about you Ginny?"  
  
"I..." she cast a wary look at Draco, and looked to Shin. "I need to get my books, and I've scrounged up money for a birthday presant and new robes... but, we haven't gotten our book lists yet, so we won't be getting our books."  
  
"Ah yes, I keep forgetting about that..." Shin smiled brightly at her. "Silly me... shall we get going? Maybe Draco and I can help you with that presant..."  
  
With a smile, Draco realised something... no matter how much people hated him, a day would never be boring or spent in depression if Shin was there to stick up for him. 


	8. Dinner

Dinner  
  
Fred and George got along pretty well once Shin had left. They were back to skeming up new products in their line of 'Ghostly Presents', and their old friend Lee Jordan even dropped by, and told them about his summer.  
  
But at the end of the day, as they started to close up, neither of them could help but worry about Shin and Ginny... they had not returned yet.  
  
"They could of been raped or something!" George said, panicing.  
  
"By Draco," Fred answered in a low hiss that his brother ignored.  
  
"Or kidnaped!"  
  
"By Draco."  
  
"Molested!"  
  
"By Draco."  
  
"Killed!"  
  
"By Draco again."  
  
"Okay," George stopped, looking at Fred. "Your two cents mean absolutely nothing because your actually calling him Draco, instead of Malfoy, so you must at least respect him."  
  
"Cross off all the Dracos," Fred said with a shrug. "And replace Malfoy. There, all better." George sighed.  
  
"This is serious... where could they be?"  
  
"Ginny's probably safe and sound at home," Fred reassured him.  
  
"Yeah," George agreed, nodding. "So... what are we waiting for? Lets go!"  
  
Together the two of them headed into the backroom, and Fred waited as George went through the fire. He couldn't help but wait a few moments and remember his dream about Shin...  
  
Shaking his head, his threw the floo powder into the fire, and stepped into it as well.  
  
"The Borrow!"

* * *

As George fell out of the fire, many sets of hands picked him back up and dusted him off. By the time all the hussle and bussle had settled down and he could see everyone, Fred had fallen through and they moved to help him.  
  
He was shocked, to say the least. Ginny (thank god) was there, sitting at the table, and with her sat Shin and Draco, both looking slightly uncomfortable with their surroundings. Harry must of come over sometime during the day, as he and Bill were helping none of then Tonks dust off Fred. Their mum was just setting dinner out on the table, and their dad must of still been at work.  
  
"What are they doing here?" he heard Fred say from behind him as he pushed away the helping hands.  
  
"Saw 'em three in Diagon Ally," another voice said. Looking to the right, George saw Mad-Eye Moody cleaning his eye. "Couldn't let 'em be going around by 'emselves, so I brought 'em to the safest place I know of... here."  
  
"I'm flattered, Alastor," Molly said, blushing. George smiled at the guests warmly and sat down at the table with Fred.  
  
"Where's Ron?" Harry asked, sitting down and carefully not looking at Draco. It seemed that he had been told about the dragon 'turning over a new leaf', but didn't like it. Instead of beating him to a bloody pulp like Fred seemed to want to do, the boy-who-lived favoured to ignore him.  
  
"Romania," Bill said, sitting down beside Draco. He on the other hand, seemed to not mind the intruder at all. It was a welcome relief. "Don't tell mum, but he's doing more then just 'observing' the dragons there... I reckon he's gonna have a few good burns and be in shape when he gets back to school.  
  
"I would still like to know what he's doing here," Fred said from George's right, glaring at Draco.  
  
"Mum invited him," Ginny answered; she also seemed to just ignore Draco as much as possible. "Said that he was skin and bones..."  
  
"That's because he is," Shin interrupted. She poked Draco, who just rolled his eyes. "Look at him! Poke him too much and he would snap in half."  
  
"I'm not that boney," Draco hissed, looking at the table. He was a good friend now and all, but George couldn't help but chuckle as he squirmed.  
  
"Now, now dearies," Molly said, coming back into the room. "Don't worry, we'll get some meat on those bones yet! Alastor, but your eye away and sit down! Tonks, -please- tell me you didn't invi-"  
  
"Anybody home!" a familiar voice called. The door opened, and in walked Mundungus, wearing his shabby trench coat as always. Molly just gave him a discriminating look, and returned to the kitchen. "Wha? Was it somethin' I said?" Everyone at the table laughed, but they all sat down. Tonks, Bill and Draco got into a conversation about quidditch, while Harry lasped into silence. Ginny swapped places with Moody, and him and Shin started a whispered conversation; Ginny, who kept throwing Draco dirty looks, joked with Mundungus. That left Fred and George to continue their skeming.  
  
The dinner itself was magnificent. Pork chops, potatoes with gravy, beans, cassoral, a large jug of fresh pumpkin juice amoung other things. They had only just started eating, when the sound of a whip being cracked deafened everyone, and Arthur Weasley appeared.  
  
"Hullo Molly dear," he said dully, kissing his wife's cheek and sitting down in his normal seat. It was a few moments until he realised that he had guests. "By goves! Miss Greu! It's you again! And Alastor! What are you doing here? Mundungus, how did you get in without a broken jaw? And Nymphadora-"  
  
"Tonks," Tonks interrupted him. "How many times -must- I say that?" The entire table burst out in laughter, and dinner seemed fine. Nothing wrong, what-so-ever...  
  
Until pudding that is.  
  
"Draco dear," Molly said, giving him and Harry thirds of icecream. "You never told us where you were staying."  
  
"Shin and I are staying at the Leaky Cauldron," Draco answered, gladdly eating what was put infront of them. Molly stared at him, as if he had just commited the biggest crime in the world.  
  
"Alastor, you let two children stay in the Leaky Cauldron -all- summer!" she shrieked. Everyone winched.  
  
"Greu is a very responsable girl," Moody reasoned, patting Shin's shoulder with one of his whithered hands. "It's perfectly fi-"  
  
"No," Molly glared at him. "I flat out refuse. It must cost a fortune! And with what the poor darlings are going through... no, they must stay here."  
  
"Mum," Fred said, trying to sound like he was saying a joke. "When Mad-eye said that this was the safest place he knew... he didn't -mean- that this was the safest-"  
  
"Your not changing my mind," Molly said simply, sitting down and smiling at Draco and Shin. "Welcome to the borrow dearies."  
  
"I pity you Harry," George muttered. "You hate his guts still, and you'll most likely be stuck in a room with him for the rest of the summer!"

* * *

After dinner had finally finished, Shin went and sat out on the porch by herself. It wasn't too long until Moody joined her. They both looked up at the almost full moon in silence for a long time. Finally, she broke it.  
  
"It was nice of her to let us stay here," she said softly. "Stupid, but very nice."  
  
"Yes, very stupid move," Moody agreed. "But just don't draw attention to yerself, and no one will be put in danger."  
  
"I still can't believe that his own father would do that to him," Shin sighed. "Living out his life for him..."  
  
"Terrible, ain't it?" Moody nodded. "But he'll be tracked down, don't worry. And the kid can live his own life now... as soon as he learns to life, that is."  
  
"Yeah," Shin looked to the ground, and shivvering, rubbed at her bare arms. Something heavy fell over her shoulders, and looking up, she saw that Moody had shed his travelling cloak. She pulled it around her, and looked to the stars again. "I just can't believe something, every Lucius Malfoy, would use the Imperius Curse on his own son..."  
  
"And the Cruciatus Curse the rare times he was able to fight off the Imperius," Moody added.  
  
"Pity," Shin sighed again, tears coming to her eyes. "He was born, but never got to live... truly a pity..."


End file.
